Into the Unknown
by Eternalmetalhead
Summary: A 22-year old Kya invites Lin to run away with her and see the world. Lin says yes. With both women already finding themselves attracted to one another, will this be the spark that lights the flames of passion? Young!Kyalin. Slow burn. Femmeslash – don't like? Don't read, simple as that.
1. Chapter 1 - Something Momentous

**Chapter 1 – Something Momentous**

 **A/N: So I got this idea when writing chapter 3 of my fic It's About Time, when Lin recalls how Kya asked her to run away together, and I thought, "what if Lin said yes?" and here we are! Fair warning, it'll be a very similar situation that drives Kya to leave as presented in It's About Time, but with the key difference being Lin's choice. Enjoy!**

A young waterbender sat on her bed, tears streaming from icy blue eyes. She made no attempt to stop them or dry them, but merely let them run, flowing down hazel skin to drip onto her clothes. Next to her was her younger friend, the police officer. The officer's hand lay upon the waterbender's shoulder, providing some small semblance of comfort.

Voice trembling, the waterbender began to explain the reason for her anguish. "It's about Mei."

Shock crossed the officer's face as she replied. "What happened? What did she do?"

"She – she left me," croaked the waterbender. "She pushed too far. Things I wasn't… ready for."

The officer tightened her grip on the waterbender's shoulder slightly. "That's horrible. I'm… I'm sorry." She hesitated before continuing. "I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say. I'm sure you'd know exactly what to say if it were me, but I'm not, well, not very good at these kind of things."

The waterbender chuckled through her sobs. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything. Just listen. And a hug would be nice."

Awkwardly, the officer opened her arms for the waterbender, who quickly moved into the embrace, wrapping her arms around the younger woman's waist. "Thanks, Lin," the waterbender whispered from below.

It didn't take long for the weeping to continue, in full force. Eventually, between sobs, the waterbender resumed her tale. "We'd been out on a dinner date, and they usually ended with us going back to her place. But this time, it was different. She always was… eager… but she didn't make a big deal out of things when I said no. This time, she got mad. Told me I was being unfair to her, that I _owed_ it to her for everything she'd done for me. She didn't want to wait anymore. She told me…" Before the waterbender could finish her sentence, however, her voice broke completely, and she returned to simply weeping once more.

Lin squeezed the older woman tightly. "Listen, Kya. Whatever horrible things she said to you, she was wrong. Dead wrong," she insisted.

Kya returned the squeeze gratefully. "She told me that if I didn't 'put out', as she put it, that I wasn't worth her time," she sobbed.

The officer, keeping her left arm around Kya, lifted the waterbender's face, until they were level, and the older woman was forced to meet her gaze. "Listen," she began forcefully, "you're worth far more than your body. You're kind, and funny, and… and so caring. Anyone who can't see that isn't worth your time," the younger woman concluded, cheeks tinged slightly red.

Despite her state, Kya managed a small smile at that. "Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that," she said. "You're probably the best damn friend I have, you know? Having you around… you've been a real comfort. So thank you for that," she finished, sad little smile widening just a hint.

Lin blushed more intensely at that. "Glad I could help. Same goes for you," she replied, a touch abashed. "The best friend thing, I mean," she added hastily.

"I know. But thanks for saying it anyway."

They sat together, once more, in each other's arms. Kya's crying gradually slowed over what felt like hours, but was in reality not much more than a few minutes. Eventually, the waterbender had no more tears to cry, and did feel somewhat lighter for having released her sadness. However, the events of the past twenty four hours had taken their toll on her, and she said as much to Lin.

"I'm exhausted. This last day has been… draining, to say the least. I hope you don't mind, but I think I need a bit of alone time. Time to sort things out in my head. You understand, right?" She asked, hoping that Lin wouldn't take offence at being dismissed.

"I get it, don't worry about it," Lin assured her. After one last hug, Lin stood and made to leave. Before walking out, however, she turned to face Kya once more. "If you change your mind… I mean, if you need someone, well, you know where to find me," she spluttered, then bolted before she could (in her own opinion) further embarrass herself.

=x=

The two women next saw each other a few days later in one of the many parks that dotted young Republic City. This would be a meeting that would irrevocably change their lives. A moment in which Kya would ask the impossible.

They greeted each other under the noon sunlight, smiling shyly at each other.

Lin's expression quickly changed to one of confusion, as she noticed a large backpack on Kya's back. "Going somewhere?" She inquired, slightly concerned.

"Damn, what are they teaching you in the Academy?" Kya joked. "You saw right through me."

Lin looked worried. "Where are you planning on going?"

Kya shrugged. "Not sure yet. I just need to get away. From, well, everything. Mom, Dad, Mei, this damn city… There's a whole world out there, and I actually want to _see_ some of it, you know?"

"Fair enough. It's probably for the best. Get away from it all. Still, I'm gonna miss you," Lin replied, sad smile back in place.

Kya's next words turned Lin's world upside down.

"You don't have to miss me, you know. If… well, if you want, you could come with me," she mumbled.

Lin gaped. "You'd really want _me_ to come with you?" She asked.

"Who else would I want? You're the only person I don't want to get away from."

"I don't get it. Why me?"

Kya shook her head in exasperation. "I thought I made it clear, you're the best friend I have. Come on, think of all the adventures we could have together! You and me against the world! What do you say?"

The officer was reeling. New possibilities exploded in her mind. Kya was right, there _was_ a whole world just waiting to be explored. And it would mean not having to say goodbye. And maybe, just maybe, when Kya was ready, Lin could even tell her about those strange feelings she had been having towards the waterbender…

But she couldn't possibly leave, could she? She had a job, a commitment to the City. And there was her mother to think about. Lin's mind was chaotic, and so she fell back on an automatic response – shut down and go on the defensive.

"I… I can't, Kya. You know I can't. I have responsibilities, I can't just run away from them," she cursed, instantly angry at herself.

Kya's eyes were downcast, but she had to try, one last time. "Please?" She implored. "Please, Lin, come with me. I wouldn't mind being alone, but I'd much prefer to be with you." Kya reached out and offered a hand. "We can head to your place, right now, and pack you a bag. We can be gone as soon as you're ready. Please," she begged, tears welling.

Lin turned away. "I'm sorry. I can't. I have my work, and my mom…" A change came over her then. The frustration she felt at her own cowardice galvanized into anger, and a fierce courage. These she used to defy the expectations she felt were placed upon her, so that she could do what she truly wanted. And what she wanted was to be with Kya. "You know what?" Lin began. "Fuck that. I'm not gonna sit here and let you go charging off into the horizon while I stay here tossing drunks into cells every week. You're damn right, there's too much out there to stay here all my life. So, what the hell, I'll do it. Damnit, I'll actually do it."

Lin could've sworn she heard Kya's jaw hit the floor at that.

"Wait, did… did you just say yes to me?" The waterbender asked quietly, scared that somehow she had misinterpreted Lin's words, or that she would change her mind.

"I think I did, yeah," the officer replied, somewhat in shock herself.

"Did you mean it?"

"…Yeah. Fuck it. Let's do it." After a moment, she hastily added, "run away, I mean."

Slowly, Kya allowed her mind to comprehend what she had just heard. Lin was coming with her. Lin was _actually coming with her!_ Once her brain fully accepted this, the older woman flung herself at Lin and enveloped her in a hug. After recovering from the unexpected physical contact, Lin gingerly returned the embrace.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you so much! It's gonna be so much fun, you'll see," Kya gushed, to Lin's amusement and exasperation.

"Hey, it beats losing my best friend," Lin returned, grinning.

They chose not to break the embrace for a while, merely enjoying each other for a time. When people were starting to stare, Lin had to ask. "Are we gonna get me packed or what?"

Kya blushed and released the younger woman. "Yeah, we probably should."

=x=

At the Beifong family home, the two women had, after nearly two hours, finally found and packed everything they thought Lin could possibly need. The only thing left to do was to leave a note, so that Toph would at least be aware of what her daughter was doing. After another hour or so of agonizing over the contents of the note, the end result was this.

 _Dear Mom,_

 _I'm leaving Republic City with Kya to see the world. I don't know when I'll be back, or when I'll see you again, so you can take this as a resignation from work. Don't try to come after us. We're both adults now, we can make our own choices. I'm sorry if I don't exactly meet your expectations as a daughter, but frankly I want to live my own life, not waste it trying to please you. I'll try and write at least once a month, so you know I'm okay, but other than that, don't expect anything from me._

 _This really is something I want. Don't try and take that from me._

 _Lin_

 _PS. Tell Su to sort her life out. Or you might have to arrest her someday._

"What do you think? Will that do?" Lin asked frantically, worrying that her mother would arrive before they left at this rate.

Kya pursed her lips in concentration as she read Lin's seventh draft of a note. "Yeah, that should do it," she decided. After leaving the note on Lin's bed the waterbender asked, "You ready?"

The younger woman nodded, eager to be off.

"Lin…" the waterbender began, taking the now-former officer's hand. "It's okay if you want to change your mind. I don't want to drag you along and force you to just drop everything."

A shock ran through the earthbender at the physical contact. She shook her head vehemently. "I'm coming with you, Kya. Come on," she declared, "let's go."

=x=

Leaving Republic City was surprisingly easy. Clearly Toph had yet to read the note by the time they reached the city boundaries, for the security guards simply let them pass after checking their documentation.

Lin commented as much to Kya, once they were out of earshot. "Huh. Guess Mom doesn't know yet. You'd think she would've told them not to let me through if she had."

"Well maybe she's not quite the hardass you think she is," Kya teased.

They were setting out on foot at first, as there were a few villages to the northeast that Kya was curious about. Some former Fire Nation colonies, and some other settlements that had been occupied during the war. Places with history.

The walk was pleasant enough – the weather favoured them, the countryside wasn't too steep, Kya chattered fairly amicably, and they both set a good pace, being in good shape. However, given the time it had taken for them to prepare for the journey, they had a rather late start, and it wasn't long before the sun danced precariously on the horizon.

Both women were a tired from hours of walking, and so Kya was a touch breathless when she asked to settle down for the night.

Lin chuckled. "What, giving up already?"

A glare from Kya. "Don't tell me you want to walk through the night."

"Fair enough. Not my idea of a good time, I'll admit."

The travellers began to search for a suitable place to set up camp for the night. It took them nearly an hour of wandering around the plains before they found a small hill. The western side, from which they approached, had a gentle incline to its peak. On the other side, however, was an almost sheer shelf, which offered easy shelter from the west wind. It was on the eastern side where they settled for the night.

Lin had the foresight to bring a small amount of firewood, which she had been carrying since they left the City. She laid it down on a fairly flat stretch of outcropping rock, laying large, flat stones around it.

While she was doing this, Kya set up their hide tent. It was a simple structure, which consisted of two sets of two wooden poles, sharp at one end and lashed together with twine at the other, forming an inverted V shape, with a smaller V at the top, above where the poles met. Once Kya found a suitable space, she planted both sets of poles into the ground, then took a fifth pole, from Lin's pack, and laid it in the small V slots. Unlike the others, she had to tie this one in place herself. Once this was done, she draped a large platypus bear hide across the top, which had been cut in such a way as to cover the whole structure, but leave an opening at the front, through one of the arches. She secured it using five large pegs, which she hammered through hole in the hide, into the ground.

The whole process took Kya around half an hour, given her inexperience with such activities – there was much fumbling, and she got her fingers tied up in the twine on an embarrassing number of occasions.

Meanwhile, Lin was having demonstrating her own lack of experience in the wild by rather resoundingly failing to start a fire. She was using a piece of flint with a small lump of steel, and it was clear she didn't know how to produce a spark. She was merely knocking the two together, with no success. The little firewood they had was crudely arranged in a heap, and when Lin finally managed to create a spark, it didn't catch.

Kya noticed Lin's frustration, mainly due to her impressive displays of profanity. The waterbender took one look at the would-be fire and saw a few problems immediately. "Want a hand?" She offered.

Snarling, Lin continued to hammer the flint and steel together, as though she could create fire with nothing but pure rage. A feat that would have been easy, had she been born a firebender. But, alas, it was not enough.

Watching Lin's plight, the waterbender decided to offer some assistance despite it not having been requested. She wandered around in the grass and gathered a few handfuls of the stuff, opting for the driest stalks she could find. With her hands full of mainly brown strands of grass, she returned, and placed them underneath the firewood, to serve as kindling.

The earthbender, meanwhile, had been learning from her mistakes with the fire starting equipment. Instead of simply bashing the two together, she brought the flint into the steel at an angle and stuck it that way, creating greater friction, which resulted in a higher success rate. After a few attempts with the kindling in place, a spark caught a strand of grass, and a small fire grew.

Sighing in relief, Lin, who had been squatting in front of the fire, merely keeled backwards and allowed herself to relax.

Kya smirked at this. "Feeling better?" She inquired sarcastically, as she reached into her pack.

The younger woman sat up to scowl at her. "Next time, I'm putting up the tent," she retorted.

"Deal."

While she had been teasing the earthbender, Kya had also been retrieving some cooking equipment – a folding tripod and a long-handled saucepan. Into it she emptied a yellow-brown liquid with a few chunks of meat and vegetables from a tub in her pack. Lin cocked an eyebrow.

Kya explained. "Chicken broth. Nothing fancy, just something Mom made last night. I stole it this morning. I brought some bread, too." This she unveiled with a small flourish. "Ta-da! Now we can eat for the night!"

"I was wondering what we were going to eat," Lin confessed. "Should probably have thought of that before we ran," she continued, eyeing the broth. It didn't exactly look appealing, but Lin knew better than to judge Katara's food by its looks. As a general rule, if she'd made it herself, and it didn't have any sea prunes in it, then it was delicious. "How did she even get away with making something with meat in it? I thought your dad pretty big on the whole vegetarian thing," she asked, holding out her hands to the fire. It wasn't particularly cold, but it felt like the right thing to do.

"He was working late last night – Council meeting. He didn't come in this morning, he'd been at it with those knuckleheads all night," Kya answered, as she tended the broth, using one of Katara's wooden spoons.

It took a few minutes to get the broth to a proper heat, but when it did, the travellers encountered a minor problem, noticed first by Lin. "Did you remember to steal any bowls, too?"

Kya chewed her lip for a moment, looking rather adorable as she thought about it, Lin thought. _Wait, what? No. There's nothing wrong with thinking your best friend looks cute when she bites her lip. Right? Or when she giggles at your awful jokes. Or…_

Lin was saved further internal reflection when Kya responded. "Crap. I knew there was something," she cursed.

The younger woman facepalmed. "Did you at least think to bring another spoon?" She demanded.

"Oh, come on, Lin! It's not gonna kill you to share," Kya retorted sharply, rather displeased by her companion's harshness.

The silence that followed was thick enough to cut.

When it finally broke, it was by both women at once. "I'm sorry," they both blurted. After a moment of unease, both women smiled.

 _Phew. Hope she's not too mad. I need to keep a better hold on myself._

Kya offered Lin the spoon. "Shall we?"

=x=

They ate in a slightly tense silence, alternating their use of the one spoon they had. The task was made easier by the bread, of which there were a few small rolls. When their meal was finished, Kya used a bit of their water to rinse out the used utensils, while Lin fetched a map from her pack.

Spreading the parchment out along the stone, Lin located their approximate position, based on their route. After Kya finished her task, she came to sit next to the younger woman, leaning in towards her as she inspected the map.

Lin's breath caught a little at their proximity. They had already started arguing, and yet Kya still chose to be that close? It had to be a good sign, right? Clearing her throat in the hopes that Kya wouldn't notice her momentary lapse in concentration, Lin pointed to a position on the map slightly to the northeast of Republic City. "Alright, I think this is where we are. And the nearest village, Jianding, is here," she pointed to a point slightly to the north of their current location, about half a day's walk from their campsite. "If I remember right, it's one of the villages occupied by the Fire Nation during the war, and I think they have an inn or two," she continued.

Kya's eyes lit up with excitement. "Awesome! I can't wait to see what it's like, you know I've always had a thing for history," she gushed, her anticipation somewhat noxious, as it began to infect Lin also. They chattered for some time about the village, and how the occupation would've affected it.

As they talked, however, the fire burned low, in the absence of more fuel to maintain it. Lin noticed this and immediately pointed it out. "I hate to interrupt, but the fire's going out. Think we should get into the tent while we can still see?" She offered, rising from her spot.

"Wow," Kya gasped, "how long were we talking for?"

"Ha. You mean, how long were _you_ talking for," Lin deadpanned, as she pulled out her sleeping sack.

The older woman placed her hand on her chest in mock indignation. "Are you accusing _me_ of being a chatterbox?"

Lin merely smirked.

=x=

Embers smouldered in front of the tent. Both women had retrieved their sleeping sacks and were settling down to sleep, side by side. The tent afforded them both a measure of personal space, yet Lin was still incredibly aware of their proximity. Before she could sleep, however, there was one thing the earthbender needed to say. She turned to face the waterbender.

"Hey, listen," she began, before Kya interrupted.

"It's okay, I know what you're gonna say, and it's okay," she reassured. "We're both quite… passionate people, in our own ways. Sparks are gonna fly now and again. I think the best way to handle it is to just not make such a big deal out of it."

Lin let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "You're probably right. Still, sorry I snapped," she replied.

Kya rested a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Me too. And sorry I forgot so much stuff," she returned, grinning sheepishly.

 _Spirits, that grin._

The older woman maintained the contact for another moment, then turned away and laid down fully. "Goodnight, Lin," she mumbled.

Closing her eyes, Lin smiled.

"Goodnight, Kya," she whispered.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! Reviews, good or bad, are more than welcome :) this thing will likely end up being rather long, as I don't particularly feel like rushing the ship. So, uh, yeah. See ya next time!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Discoveries

**Chapter 2 – Discoveries**

 **A/N: So first off, infinite apologies for this taking so long to be written – several successive coursework deadlines gave me virtually no downtime. I want to clarify for any concerned I am not abandoning either of my Kyalin fics. However, updates are just gonna be on a whenever-I-can basis cause real life is currently deciding to be a dick. I will try to get at least one update a month out for each fic from now on but no promises. But I will get these done.**

 **Also it occurred to me shortly after publishing chapter 1 (with help from reviewers) that I had done a Sokka and completely forgotten that Toph was blind…. :S Tried to account for that here!**

 **With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy :)**

Toph knew something was wrong as soon as she walked in. A policewoman's initiative. No, a _mother's_ initiative. Bending a boot out of place, she slammed her foot onto the ground. Her seismic sense returned the presence of only one person in the house, who was approaching her rapidly.

"Mom! Mom!" The person called.

 _Oh, it's Suyin. Wait, only one daughter at home and it's Su? What the hell is happening?_

"Oh, spirits, mom, you're not gonna believe it!" She yelled as she entered the hall with her mother.

"What's going on? Where's Lin?" The Chief demanded.

Suyin came to a halt in front of her mother and began to read a note, apparently from Lin. As she read it, Toph's expression shifted between sadness, fear, and finally pride.

"Damn. Well frankly it's about time that girl did something _she_ wanted," Toph smirked.

"Cheeky little PS she left, huh," Su remarked.

The Chief chuckled. "Well, she's not wrong," she teased. "It's a shame, she seems to think I'd actually try to stop her doing what she wants…" Her voice trailed off as she realised _of course_ Lin would think that. The master earthbender was not exactly the best of mothers, after all.

Suyin had, thankfully, not noticed this small lapse in her mother's mood, as she was still busy rambling about her sister's choice.

"Oh, they'll have so much fun together, assuming Lin doesn't screw things up. And hey, maybe those two might finally start talking about those misty-eyed looks they keep giving each other…"

Toph nodded, slightly unfocused. "Yeah, maybe. Just hope she left because _she_ wanted to. Not just to please Kya. Hope she doesn't regret anything…"

=x=

"Ugh, I regret everything," Lin groaned, rolling her shoulders. As it happened, the ground was not entirely as accommodating as a bed, and both women had awoken with rather unpleasant cramps.

Kya stretched, grumbling. "Right. We are getting to that damn village today. Can we have a rule that we don't camp out unless we absolutely have to?" She complained.

"Agreed. And while we're at it, can we also make sure that if we are gonna have to camp, we actually have everything we need for a meal?" Lin added.

The waterbender yawned as she nodded sheepishly.

=x=

After a few minutes of stretching and bemoaning their poor choice of sleeping spot, the two women found themselves crouched around the map once more, checking their route again. There was a minor dispute – Kya wanted to cut across countryside, which would be faster, but Lin was in favour of finding the road again. It would lengthen their journey but there would be considerably less chance of them getting lost.

"Come on, where's your sense of adventure?" Kya teased.

Lin scowled. "And what happens if we get lost?" She demanded. "We've got two bread rolls left, which we need for breakfast. We get lost, we go hungry tonight. Don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a good time to me."

"We won't get lost. It's only a few hours' walk, I think we can handle that," the older woman reassured.

The earthbender was conflicted. On the one hand, there was her sensible side, telling her that they should take the safe route. On the other hand, the part of her that led her on this mad journey in the first place, her impulsive side, was gaining ground. Now that she had taken the leap and done something dumb for its own sake, this part of her was becoming more prominent in her mind. The part of her that wanted to throw caution to the wind, and make the stupid, dangerous, exciting choices.

Of course, there was also the part of her that was finding it harder and harder to say no to those eyes that stared across at her, shining with anticipation…

The combined influence of her adventurous side and her growing inability to deny the older woman led to Lin conceding this particular argument. "Fine. We'll do it your way. But if we get lost," she added, glowering ominously, "and run out of food, I get to eat you first."

The waterbender burst out laughing. "Oh, Lin," she began in a sultry tone, "you just made getting lost a lot more appealing," she finished, barely containing her giggles enough to maintain her flirtatious manner.

The younger woman's cheeks burned, both with humiliation and embarrassment at the perverse thoughts Kya's words inspired. Not to mention the fact that she found those ideas rather appeali- _NOPE._ She was _not_ going to think about _that_ just yet, tempting though it was to imagine Kya beneath her, writhing in delight…

 _Get a hold of yourself, that's not happening any time soon. Quick, say something, before she suspects._

"M-mind out of the gutter, Kya," she stammered. _Great. Very smooth._

The waterbender flashed Lin a wink. "You know you love it."

=x=

After a _delightful_ breakfast, the travellers broke camp, which took considerably less time than setting it up. Within about ten minutes, all the poles were folded back into position and packed, and the platypus bear hide was stuffed snugly into Kya's pack.

The map they kept rolled up in Lin's inner jacket pocket, just in case they ended up horribly off course.

However, in the end they didn't find they had to refer to it very often. The route Kya suggested was to simply march in a straight line from their campsite to Jianding village, and as such would've taken a lot of effort to get wrong. Thanks to the gentle terrain they barely deviated from the route at all.

As seemed to be becoming the norm, the waterbender filled the air with her nattering about nothing in particular. Lin, who had never been inclined towards small talk, paid little attention, tossing Kya a "hmm" or a "yeah" now and again. The younger woman was content merely to enjoy the energetic music of Kya's voice, quietly delighting in the older woman's excitement.

=x=

It was a few hours into the afternoon before the women arrived at Jianding village. What they saw was startling.

While it was a fairly small village, it was quite well fortified. The south road ran right through the centre of the village, but aside from it and the north road passing out from the other side, the entire village was ringed by a trench, filled with sharpened wooden stakes. Similarly, within the inner layer of the trench there was a simple wooden palisade. Not strong enough to resist a determined invasion force, but enough to bait any would-be conquerors into storming the south road entrance, over which was built a simple wooden gate.

Given that the Four Nations were currently enjoying a fairly comfortable peace, the gate was open and the two women were able to enter without any problems. They looked around, searching for somewhere to spend the night, and, more importantly, get some food. Aside from a bread roll each, neither of them had eaten that day, and it was already well past lunchtime.

Walking through the main street, they eventually came to a local inn. The area seemed pleasant enough, and signs advertised it as being a cheap, yet friendly place to stay the night. _Though_ , Lin thought, _at this point I'll take what I can get. Just so long as I can sleep on a damn bed._

=x=

They entered the inn, taking note of the large dining hall in which they found themselves. It stretched out to their right as they entered. Although it was somewhat late for lunch, a few groups of people still ate, filling the room with a pleasant buzz of conversation. Across from them was a counter, with a kindly old woman situated behind it, who waved them over.

Lin reached for her money as they approached. The old woman greeted them kindly. "Hello, my dears. How can old Yumi help you?"

Kya opened with her sweetest smile. "We were hoping you had a couple of rooms for us," she asked. "We're travelling the world, seeing as much as we can, and we were hoping to actually sleep in a bed tonight," the waterbender joked, earning her a mild chuckle from Yumi.

The innkeep smiled sadly. "Ah, sounds like you two have some adventures in your future. But I'm afraid I only have the one room available right now. It has a large bed, so if you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd happily let you take it," she informed them, sounding rather apologetic.

At the mention of sharing a bed with Kya, Lin felt a rush of heat through her chest. It felt like a strange combination of anxiety and… anticipation?

The waterbender looked at Lin, eyes wide, seeming slightly nervous, asking a silent question. She nodded in response.

"That sounds wonderful," Kya accepted the offer graciously.

Rifling through her yuans, Lin inquired, "how much for one night?"

"Thirty yuans, dear," Yumi answered.

The younger woman fished out the appropriate amount and handed it over. Yumi turned to the wall, in which there were several hooks. Only one of them actually had a key on it, which she retrieved and passed to Lin.

"Just up the stairs, last door on the left," the innkeep informed them cheerily, before adding, "and if you're hungry, lunch is still being served for a little longer. It's free with the room, dears, so no need to worry about paying. Enjoy your stay!"

Kya thanked her profusely before the two companions made their way upstairs.

=x=

The room they found themselves in was quite small, but it had its own bathroom, and the bed was more than large enough for both women. However, Kya seemed nervous all the same.

Lin noticed this and asked if something was wrong.

"Well, uh, sort of," Kya very helpfully began. "It's just, well… You know I'm not like most women. I mean it's not like us sharing a bed would mean… _anything_ … but, well, I'd understand if you'd rather not," she finished awkwardly.

The prospect of sleeping in the same bed as the woman she was gradually becoming more and more attracted to was indeed rather nerve-wracking, though not for the reasons Kya expected. Thus, to ensure she didn't upset her friend, or otherwise give any odd signals, Lin brushed it off. "Well, ah, like you say, it wouldn't… it'd just be sharing 'cause we have to. It's fine. Besides, I don't think either of us would take kindly to sleeping on the floor."

The waterbender let out a slow breath. "Thanks. I didn't want to make things awkward, but I don't wanna make you uncomfortable either," she sighed.

As they laid their packs against a wall, Lin decided this conversation had become rather too serious, and so she redirected Kya's attention to the village they were in. "Well, we made it. First stop on the road. What do you want to see first?" The younger woman asked.

At this reminder Kya's eyes lit up again. "Well, I think the old town hall got converted into a museum, that could be fun," she mused. Before she could continue, however, she was interrupted by a protest from her stomach, which was still empty. "Oh, right," Kya giggled sheepishly, "we should probably start with lunch."

=x=

Just in time, they made it downstairs for lunch. The last call from the kitchens had just gone out, and they hurriedly grabbed a pair of bowls full of something hot and (hopefully) edible. Only when they set their bowls down did they discover exactly what it was they were about to eat.

As it turned out, they were lucky – they had managed to grab two bowls of noodle soup. Nothing particularly extravagant, just noodles with some pak choi, bamboo shoots and water chestnut, but wholesome, filling food all the same.

Within about five minutes, the bowls were empty.

"Remind me never to take hot food for granted again," Lin groaned.

"Hey! We had a hot meal yesterday," Kya retorted, a touch indignant.

Lin tilted her head slightly. "Yeah. One hot meal. And we're gonna have another tonight."

"Alright, good point."

"Do I ever make any other kind of point?"

"Lin, shut up."

The younger woman smirked. "Case in point."

=x=

From the inn it was only a short walk to the old town hall, which was now a museum. Kya was incredibly excited to visit a place with its own unique tale within the old war her father had ended. In typical Kya fashion, she was waxing eloquent about the place from the moment they stepped out of the inn.

It didn't take long to reach the museum, however. Within minutes they passed through a simple yet elegant archway into the main lobby. Looking around, Lin couldn't find any sort of gate or booth to pay at, a fact she mentioned to her companion.

"Looks like free entry then!" Kya crowed. The older woman grabbed Lin's hand and pulled her along.

The first exhibit they saw was a scale model of the village, only without any of its makeshift defences. No stake-filled trench. No palisade ringing the small settlement. No gates straddling the north and south roads. Beneath the display was a brass plaque. Eying it, Kya began to read aloud.

"Despite popular belief, Jianding was not always as heavily fortified as it is today. Once it was a peaceful place, merely connecting the Sunset Plains to the west coast. It was simply a collection of craftsmen, artisans and traders, living in a friendly local community. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked," the waterbender narrated, deepening her voice slightly for dramatic effect.

"It may have escaped your notice, but I can, in fact, read," Lin complained.

"Really?" Kya giggled. "I had no idea! Anyway, it's much more fun this way, do you really feel like just reading the plaques to ourselves?"

The younger woman sighed. _She just refuses to make sense…_

The exhibit continued with several more recreations of the village, each being progressively more heavily fortified than the last. The plaques explained the tale of the village, as narrated by Kya, with Lin grumbling every so often. The village, the waterbender read, was approached by a contingent from the Fire Nation a few years into the Hundred Year War. Their commander was an arrogant man, and he thrived on the satisfaction he took from forcing his opponents into submission. So when he saw this small village, with his force of four hundred soldiers, he thought himself invincible. In his arrogance, he decided to offer the village a chance to surrender. If the village elders signed an official document acknowledging their surrender, and delivered it to him within two weeks, he would be merciful and spare the village.

At this, Lin had to interrupt the narrative. "Yeah, 'cause that would've worked! Earth Kingdom philosophy is all about resilience and toughing it out. That idiot just gave them something to resist. Bet it ended well for him," the earthbender finished with a chuckle.

"Well wasn't that one of the Fire Nation's greatest flaws, though? They were so obsessed with the so-called superiority of their way they didn't think about the mind-set of anyone else," Kya returned, delighted that her companion had finally taken an interest in one of her passions.

Lin shrugged before gesturing at the exhibits. "Let's get on with it, then."

They came to a plaque in front of a waxwork model of a young woman. Her auburn hair was held up in a neat bun and she bore a katana with both hands, the blade held high above her head as though she were about to bring it down with a ferocious slash. Though Lin was attempting to feign disinterest, the sight of this woman piqued her curiosity.

"So it says here, this woman, Jade, was the one who rallied the villagers. Damn," Lin paused, taking in the regal, yet almost primal strength the recreation of this old warrior exuded. "Wouldn't want to tangle with her," she finished, ever so slightly awed.

Kya cocked an eyebrow cheekily. "Oh, Lin, I don't think I've ever heard you talk about someone like that before," she teased. "The fact that it's a _woman_ you're talking about… Well it would explain why you never got a boyfriend," the older woman finished with a wink.

 _Oh crap, has she actually just figured out that I might bend that way? Ugh, why is this so confusing and –oh, she was joking, wasn't she? Idiot._

In the time it had taken Lin to have her minor panic, her expression had started on horror, and blended into confusion, fear, and finally humiliation, redness rising through to the surface of her cheeks the whole time.

"Well, uh, being around you as much as I am… I mean, would you be surprised if I-uh, bent that way?" Lin spluttered. _Damnit, that went a lot smoother in my head. Next time, don't bother with the witty retort._

But even her stunted delivery did not dull the effects of that line, as it was now the waterbender's turn to blush. Kya looked down and away, and took a few moments to respond.

"Oh… sorry, I had no idea," the older woman mumbled, abashed. Before Lin could reassure her that no offence was given, she quietly added, "shall we continue the tour?"

 _Crap, now she's beating herself up. I should probably say something, but I'm pretty sure she won't want to talk just yet…_

Held fast in the grip of indecision, Lin merely nodded.

They proceeded through the exhibits, learning the tale of the Siege of Jianding. The woman they saw, Jade, gathered the villagers after they received word from the commander. With her strength of will, she galvanised the people's love of freedom into a grim determination. They sent word by hawk to Ba Sing Se, formally requesting aid. They also sent messages to the neighbouring villages, warning of the Fire Nation's advance and pleading for supplies. In the meantime, they prepared for battle. The best woodsmen were sent out into the forests to the north east, to gather as much wood as possible. The rest began digging a trench ringing the village, leaving gaps for the north road, so that supplies could reach them, and in the south road.

Jade's plan was not to keep the Fire Nation out, but rather to control the means of their entry. For after the trench was dug, it was filled with stakes, and a palisade was erected on the inside. The only points of entry were through the north and south roads. Jade, having judged the commander to be a hasty, arrogant man, knew that he would want to crush the village quickly. Thus, she gave him what seemed to be an easy entrance. But the road was narrow, and barely allowed three men to comfortably walk side by side.

As Kya read this last part, Lin knew exactly where this was going. "Okay, that's impressive. Force the soldiers into a narrow corridor, that way their numbers don't really matter," she mused.

The waterbender gave Lin a questioning look. "Since when do you know so much about military tactics?" She demanded playfully.

There was a pause.

"Well… I always liked learning about that kind of thing in school. Battles, and stuff. I just think they're interesting, ok?" The younger woman admitted grudgingly.

"That almost sounds like you're admitting you like something!"

"Kya."

"Yes, Lin?"

"Shut it."

The waterbender simply grinned her evil grin.

They proceeded around the corner to the next set of exhibits. "So over those two weeks," the waterbender resumed, "they ringed the entire town with a palisade wall, dug a trench, too, filled it with stakes, and created the choke point at the south gate. They even built guard towers on either side of the south entrance. Ah, they had earthbenders, that would've helped."

The next display they came to featured not only the fully fortified village, but small models of the Fire Nation contingent, as they attempted to storm the little settlement.

It didn't end well for them.

The earthbenders flung rocks from the towers, and the other villagers bravely held the line with pitchforks, clubs, whatever they could find. Of course, Jade herself took to the front, bearing the ancestral sword of her family. The tale told her to be a juggernaut of fierce power, for no soldier who stood before her survived. Lin found herself admiring this woman more and more.

They held out for a week against the Fire Nation. Of the original four hundred, less than half survived. Thanks to a combination of supplies sent from nearby villages, and the fortifications around the village, Jianding held out, barely losing twenty.

At this point, the arrogant commander ceased his assault, and sent word back to his superiors, requesting reinforcements. For another week they waited, and stockpiled more supplies.

Eventually the second contingent arrived. One thousand soldiers, under the command of a more senior officer. Unfortunately for Jianding, this man was no fool. Nor was he merciful – he proceeded to immediately implement his plan.

"'He proceeded to immediately implement his plan.' Well, dun-dun-dunnnnnnn," Kya vocalised, grinning.

"Really? We're doing dramatic music now?" Lin groaned. _Why do I let myself be seen with her?_

"Oh, you know you love it."

"Kya?"

"Yes, Lin?"

"You know what, you already know what I'm gonna say and you won't even listen, so I'm not gonna bother."

"Love you too," the older woman teased.

 _It's just a bit cold, that's why I'm shivering, right?_

The tale came to an end as Kya described a bloody assault. Most of the new contingent from the Fire Nation charged the south gate alongside the uninjured members of the original force. But the general personally led fifty soldiers around through the forest, to sneak in through the north entrance. This had been left sparsely defended due to limited manpower.

The strike force killed or incapacitated the few defenders of the north entrance before they could raise the alarm. Charging through the streets, the force attacked the old town hall, the building that later became the museum. It was badly damaged, due to the clash of benders. Unfortunately, the general had timed his charge so that he arrived when Jade was taking some time to recover, and she was captured.

He brought her before the defenders, demanding their surrender in exchange for Jade's life. But she would not allow herself to be used as a crutch to manipulate her people. She struggled until she reached a knife she had hidden in her gown, which she plunged into the general's side with all her might. Out of reflex, he shot a surge of flame from the hand, which struck Jade in the head, killing her instantly.

Even though it wasn't what she wanted, the villagers despaired at their leader's death. They threw down their weapons and surrendered.

"Bastard," spat Lin.

Kya nodded. "Yet why am I not surprised? The Fire Nation was pretty vicious under Ozai…"

"At least they never stopped trying to fight them off, it says here that the people never completely submitted. Apparently there were always a few people causing trouble, undermining the Fire Nation's hold wherever they could," Lin narrated.

They wandered around the museum a little longer, examining a few artefacts from the battle, including Jade's family blade, which was displayed in pride of place at the end of the hall.

Lin gazed reverently at the beautiful implement of war. It was housed in a simple wooden scabbard, unadorned except for a single piece of jade, set just below the crossguard.

"Can't believe the sword even survived," Lin whispered. "You'd think the Fire Nation would've had it destroyed."

"Even they wouldn't be stupid enough to destroy a weapon as well-made as this," Kya replied quietly.

After a few more minutes of exploring the museum Lin had to admit that she was getting bored. Not to mention tired from the morning walk. Thankfully, it seemed her companion was also weary from the road, and so the earthbender managed to ask, "shall we head back to the inn? Feeling pretty tired, and we've been here a couple of hours now, it's probably time to eat."

"Aww, feeling sleepy, are we?" Kya inquired, in a tone that was meant to be cocky and teasing, but which was ruined slightly by the huge yawn that punctuated it.

"Yeah, you're just as bad as me. Come on, let's get some food. And then I need to do something about my bed withdrawal problem!"

=x=

Dinner proved to be rather similar to lunch – a noodle soup with vegetables, mildly seasoned. Not, perhaps, the most varied menu, but then Lin was beginning to appreciate that being 'adventurers' as they were meant that little things like hot meals were something to be cherished, however repetitive or unimaginative they may be.

As they ate, Yumi the innkeep wandered over to see if they were enjoying their meal. The three women made polite small talk (or at least Yumi and Kya did, Lin being ever the quiet one), until their host eventually asked them about their plans for the following day. At this, Lin brought out her map and unravelled it onto the table.

"We don't have any concrete plans yet, we're just following the road," Lin explained. She pointed to a spot on the map marked with a small cross. "We camped there last night, we're following the roads towards the north-east, sort of."

Yumi raised her eyebrows. "Well, dear, if you're headed that way, you'll have to head through this valley," she pointed to an area to the north-east, "here. There's three little villages there, all within half a day's walk. The nearest one you could reach by mid-afternoon tomorrow if you head out early. Just keep to the roads and you'll be fine. Strange," she added as an afterthought, "we haven't heard much from any of them lately. Then again, they're all basically one community, so you tend to get news from all of them or none."

Lin had the smallest of frowns on her face but quickly dismissed it. _Probably nothing serious_.

"Oh, that's really helpful, thank you!" Kya graciously replied.

Yumi's wrinkled face lit up at this. "Oh, it was my pleasure! It's so sweet to see the young, off to see some of what this world has to offer."

They nattered idly for a bit longer until the travellers were ready for some well-earned bed rest. They said their goodbyes and thanked the kindly innkeep again before retiring to their room.

=x=

"Ooooh, it's gonna be nice to actually change my clothes. Add clean underwear to the list of things I already miss after one night of camping!" Kya exclaimed, giggling as Lin recoiled. "Oh, come on, like you weren't thinking the same thing!"

The earthbender let out a noise halfway between a sigh and a growl. "Do you want the bathroom or should I? Changing, I mean."

"I'll take the bathroom."

"Sure. Don't take too long."

The two women quickly changed into their respective night apparel. Lin had to admit the change was refreshing. After all, sleeping in walking clothes is never pleasant.

Once they were both decent they quickly went through the usual nightly ministrations before sitting together on the large bed. The mattress was somewhat soft, and ultimately far more comfortable than the earth they'd been stuck with the previous night. Strangely enough.

As they slipped under the sheets Kya flicked off the light switch, bathing them in near-darkness, save for a hint of a glow from the streetlights outside.

They settled in, a slight gap between them. After a few minutes of minor awkwardness, Lin decided she should broach a topic she suspected Kya might need to talk about.

Of course, that didn't mean to say she had any idea how to go about doing this. Lying there, staring at the ceiling she spent about half an hour trying to figure out the right way to ask her best friend if she was over her ex yet.

She had almost formulated what she thought was the perfect way to ask about Mei without pressuring Kya to open up if she wasn't ready when the older woman rendered all her efforts pointless.

"Hey, Lin… Um, would it be alright if I talked about Mei a little?" She softly asked.

The earthbender rolled her eyes. "And here I was, taking ages to figure out the right way to ask you that same question."

Kya chuckled gently. "Aw, that's sweet."

"Go on then, what's on your mind?"

The waterbender took a deep breath before answering. "I'm still pretty upset about the whole thing, but I think I'm getting past it. It… the worst part was realising she didn't actually care about me, or what I wanted. She just wanted to get into my pants."

"Yeah," Lin sighed. "Douchebags like that, well, they kinda come with the territory of being gorgeous and confident."

She had said this without thinking, and was strangely pleased to see the flush of red spreading through Kya's bronze skin.

"Ah, thanks. But I'm getting better at not taking what she said to me to heart. It's hard, you know? When you get those thoughts, they can be hard to get rid of. But I'm getting better, slowly. I think…" she hesitated at this.

After a moments silence, Lin gave a verbal nudge. "You think…?"

"I think it's gonna be a while before I'm ready to be close to someone like that again," Kya let out like a confession.

"Well, yeah, that's obviously pretty sensible. This was your first real breakup. You need time, and, y'know, that's okay," Lin reassured.

Kya cracked a little smile. "And you say you're no good this." She slid a little closer and wound her arms around her friend. "I needed to hear that," she continued after Lin returned to hold. "So thank you." Kya whispered at Lin's ear, her breath sending a shiver down the younger woman's spine.

 _Really? C'mon, she's still sad, is this really the time to be feeling like this?_

Outwardly, the earthbender simply nodded and tightened the hug for a moment, before releasing Kya, who took the hint to give some space.

They settled into their positions, Lin satisfied that she had done a good job being there for the person she cared for. "Goodnight, Kya," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Lin."

 **A/N: So I'm not 100% happy with this chapter which was part of why it took so long as well as real life. Not much happens this time. But next time, the adventure really gets… interesting :P**

 **So as I think I said earlier I'm going to try and work on updating more often but with a short holiday (most of which I plan to spend drunk) then exams after that it's gonna be rough. Once January exams are done I'll have some downtime before coursework deadlines, so updates are more likely around then. Just to say again: regardless of how long I take to update, I am NOT giving up on any fics. I hate leaving things unfinished, so I will strive to get them all done. I will update with an author's note on the relevant fics if I plan on stopping one altogether. So if you don't see me specifically say I'm done with a fic, you can assume I'm not.**

 **With that in mind, see you all next time!**


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